Your packaging team has a deadline at the end of next month: sign off the artwork for a consumer-pack refresh that'll ship into UK supermarkets, US mass-market and a couple of pharmacy chains. Marketing has tabled a QR code on the front of the pack — the brand has been promising one for two years — and finance has just realised that the major retailers in two of those channels announced their Sunrise-2027 cutoffs last quarter. Suddenly the question isn't whether to put a QR on the box; it's whether the QR you're putting on the box is the right kind, and whether the EAN-13 you were going to print next to it can stay.
That conversation is happening on every brand-side packaging team right now. This guide is an attempt to make it short. Sunrise 2027 is a global GS1 commitment to have retail point-of-sale scanners accept 2D barcodes alongside 1D EAN / UPC by the end of 2027. What that means in practice — what changes at the till, what ships on the consumer pack, who carries the cost — is more concrete than the headline suggests, and most of the work is doable now.
The short answer
Sunrise 2027 is the industry commitment that retail POS scanners will accept 2D barcodes by end of 2027. The recommended carrier is a QR Code containing a GS1 Digital Link URL — one symbol carries the GTIN for the till and a working web URL for the shopper's phone. The existing 1D EAN-13 / UPC-A doesn't go away; the safe consumer-pack default through 2027 is to print both, side by side.
50123456789005012345678900 — fast to scan, opaque to the phone.EAN-13 / UPC-A only. POS reads the GTIN; the phone can't do much.
https://id.gs1.org/01/05012345678900/10/ABC123/17/261231ABC123 and expiry 2026-12-31; opens as a web URL when scanned by a phone, returns the GTIN at the till.Same EAN-13 plus a GS1 Digital Link QR — POS and phone both work.
Before vs after Sunrise 2027
The most useful way to think about the change is a single table: what a typical consumer-pack scan looks like before and after the transition, and who has to do something to get from one to the other.
| Aspect | Before Sunrise 2027 | After Sunrise 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Scanner type | Laser line or 2D imager — 1D required | 2D imager required at the lane level |
| Accepted symbologies | EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8 | All of the above plus QR Code carrying a GS1 Digital Link and GS1 Data Matrix |
| Data carried | GTIN only | GTIN plus optional batch (AI 10), expiry (AI 17), serial (AI 21) and a shopper-facing URL |
| Who changes | Status quo since the 1970s | Retailers upgrade scanners and POS software; brands add a 2D carrier to the artwork |
| Shopper experience | Phone scan returns nothing useful from the barcode itself | Phone scan opens a product page, allergen list, recall notice or recipe |
What is GS1 Sunrise 2027?
Sunrise 2027 is a coordinated industry commitment, organised by GS1 and its member retailers and brand owners, to have point-of-sale systems worldwide accept 2D barcodes (alongside the existing 1D EAN / UPC) by the end of 2027. It isn't a law, and there's no fine attached to missing the date — but every major retail group in the GS1 membership has signed on, and most have published internal cutoffs of their own that land in 2026 or 2027.
The carrier of choice is a QR Code that contains a GS1 Digital Link URL — a normal https:// URL whose path follows a GS1-defined grammar, so the same symbol works as a web link when scanned by a phone and as a GS1 carrier when scanned by a Sunrise-ready POS. GS1 Data Matrix is the secondary option for industrial / pharma contexts where a phone scan isn't the point.
Why now? The data-carrier limits of 1D
The 13 digits on an EAN-13 identify a product. They don't tell you which batch this unit came from, when it expires, what individual serial number it has, or how a shopper can scan it to see allergen information. None of that fits in a 1D barcode at any reasonable size — and the workarounds (separate batch labels printed alongside, FNC1 in a wider Code 128, sticker barcodes added at the depot) all push cost and error onto operations.
A 2D code carries thousands of characters in the same physical footprint as a 1D barcode, with Reed–Solomon error correction that survives partial damage. That single change is enough to fold every separate label (batch, expiry, serial, URL, marketing QR) back into one symbol. Sunrise 2027 is the industry agreement to make that fold work at the till.
For the deeper capacity / scanner / footprint comparison between the two families, see the 1D vs 2D barcodes guide.
What changes at the till
At the lane, almost nothing changes for the cashier or the shopper. The scanner beams whatever symbol is presented; the till looks up the GTIN; the price posts. The change is in what kinds of symbols the scanner is allowed to find.
- 2D imager scanners read both 1D and 2D symbols — they're a strict superset of laser-line readers and have been the norm in self-scan and handheld units for a decade. After Sunrise, every lane needs an imager.
- POS software needs to extract the GTIN from a 2D payload as well as a 1D one. For a GS1 Digital Link URL the GTIN sits at a known path segment (after
/01/); for a GS1 Data Matrix it's in AI 01. Mature POS stacks already parse both; older systems need a firmware refresh. - The lookup pipeline stays identical. The till sees the same GTIN it always did and posts the same price; the AIs (batch, expiry) flow through to whatever back-office system wants them — typically inventory, traceability or recall management.
What brands need to do
The brand-side work is mostly artwork and master data. None of it is hard individually; the trick is doing it on the right cycle.
- Keep the 1D EAN / UPC. Print it on every consumer pack as before. The Sunrise transition is additive, not substitutional.
- Add a QR with a GS1 Digital Link URL. Place it near the EAN, or on the front of the pack if marketing wants to. The URL encodes the GTIN at the same path segment that POS expects, plus any AIs (batch, expiry, serial) that apply per-unit.
- Register the GTIN with GS1. Major retailers (Amazon, Walmart) now verify that GTINs trace back to a GS1-issued company prefix; resellers' codes increasingly fail. See What is a GTIN? for the basics.
- Decide on a resolver. The default is
https://id.gs1.org/01/<GTIN>…which always works. If you want a branded URL (https://yourbrand.com/p/01/<GTIN>…) you need to stand up your own GS1 Digital Link resolver — usually a thin web service. - Plan the artwork cycle. Don't do a special run just for Sunrise; pair the QR addition with your next packaging refresh.
To prototype a Digital Link URL and render it as a QR for proofing, use the GS1 Digital Link Generator. To verify a payload that's already been printed, paste it into the decoder:
Confirm a printed payload parses cleanly into structured GTIN + AI data.
What retailers need to do
The retailer-side work is mostly hardware and POS software, with a side order of master-data plumbing.
- Audit the scanner fleet. Anything laser-only — older self-scan kiosks, some older handheld units — needs replacing with a 2D imager. Imagers are backwards-compatible with 1D, so this is a one-way swap.
- Upgrade POS software to extract the GTIN from a GS1 Digital Link URL or a GS1 Data Matrix payload. The major POS vendors have been shipping this for a couple of years; smaller franchise systems often need a firmware push.
- Decide the AI capture policy. Some retailers want batch and expiry to flow into inventory; others ignore them and just take the GTIN. Either is fine, but the policy needs to be explicit so the integration partners know what to do.
- Communicate the cutoff to suppliers. Every major retailer that has committed to Sunrise has published a date by which suppliers should ship 2D on consumer packs. Brand-side teams plan around those, so retailers that haven't published a date are quietly slowing their suppliers down.
The dual-carrier interim
Through 2026, 2027 and most likely well into 2028, the safe consumer-pack default is to carry both barcodes on the same artwork: the 1D EAN-13 (or UPC-A) for the existing POS lanes, and a 2D QR with a GS1 Digital Link for the upgraded ones and for the shopper's phone. The same GTIN sits inside both.
The pack-design conversation is mostly about placement. Practical defaults: keep the 1D EAN where it's always been (back of pack, near the base); put the QR somewhere a shopper would naturally look — front of pack for engagement, base of pack for traceability. The two symbols don't have to be adjacent.
Common misconceptions
- "Sunrise 2027 means 1D goes away." No. The 1D barcode stays on the pack and keeps working at the till. Sunrise is about 2D acceptance, not 1D removal.
- "A plain marketing QR is good enough." No. A QR that opens
https://yourbrand.com/campaignisn't a GS1 Digital Link — POS can't extract the GTIN from it. The URL has to follow the GS1 path grammar. - "My retailer is mandating Sunrise." Almost always that's the retailer's internal cutoff dressed up as a GS1 mandate. GS1 itself doesn't mandate; individual retailers do, and their dates may differ from 2027.
- "Every brand needs a custom resolver domain." No. The default
id.gs1.orgresolver works for any GTIN. A custom resolver is useful for branding and analytics, not for Sunrise compliance. - "Data Matrix on consumer packs is Sunrise-ready." It is, technically, but a shopper's phone won't open a Data Matrix as a URL. For consumer-facing packs the recommended carrier is a QR with a Digital Link; reserve Data Matrix for industrial / pharma cases.
Quick decision guide
If you only need the practical answer for the next pack you're signing off, the rules collapse to four short ones:
- Print the 1D EAN-13 / UPC-A as you always have. Don't strip it before your retail partners confirm their POS is 2D-ready.
- Add a QR Code carrying a GS1 Digital Link URL — same GTIN, plus any per-unit AIs (batch, expiry, serial) you have. Use
https://id.gs1.org/01/<GTIN>…unless you have a reason to stand up a branded resolver. - Validate the artwork before press. Render the QR with the GS1 Digital Link Generator, then decode it back to confirm POS will read the GTIN and the AIs.
- Time the change to your next artwork cycle. There's rarely a business case for a Sunrise-only print run; pair it with whatever pack refresh is already scheduled.
Frequently asked
Is Sunrise 2027 a regulation or a mandate?
Neither, strictly. Sunrise 2027 is a commitment by GS1 and its member retailers and brands to have global retail POS accept 2D barcodes (GS1 Digital Link in QR, or GS1 Data Matrix) alongside traditional 1D EAN / UPC by end of 2027. Some markets and regulators are coupling it with their own rules — pharma traceability, deposit-return schemes — but the Sunrise commitment itself is industry-led.
Will my old 1D EAN / UPC barcode stop working in 2027?
No. The 1D barcode stays valid past 2027 — that's the whole point of running dual carriers (1D + 2D) on the same pack through the transition. POS scanners will keep reading the 1D EAN; 2D acceptance is being added on top, not as a replacement.
Do I need a GS1 Digital Link to be Sunrise-ready?
Not strictly, but it's the route GS1 itself recommends and the one most brands are taking. The alternative is a plain GS1 Data Matrix carrying GTIN + AIs — same data, harder for shoppers to use because a Data Matrix doesn't open as a URL when scanned with a phone camera.
What does Sunrise 2027 cost a brand?
If your packaging artwork is already on a refresh cycle, the marginal cost is small — add a QR Digital Link next to the existing EAN-13. The real cost shows up if you're starting from scratch on master data: you need a GTIN registered to your company prefix, an AI-aware data model (batch, expiry, serial), and a resolver if you want a branded URL rather than id.gs1.org.
What happens if my POS scanner can only read 1D?
It'll keep working until you replace it — the 1D EAN on the pack is still there. The pressure to upgrade comes from your business case (richer scan data, fewer manual look-ups), not from a Sunrise deadline. Most modern imager scanners already handle 2D; older laser-line scanners don't, and those are the ones that need swapping.
Is Sunrise 2027 the same as the EU pharma serialisation rules?
No. EU FMD (Falsified Medicines Directive) and similar regional pharma traceability rules already require 2D GS1 Data Matrix on prescription packs and have done since 2019. Sunrise 2027 is the broader retail commitment for non-pharma consumer goods — your shampoo bottle, not your blister pack.
References
- GS1 "2D at POS" programme — the canonical landing page for Sunrise 2027 milestones and adopter guidance: gs1.org/standards/2d-at-pos.
- GS1 Digital Link standard — the URL grammar that makes one 2D symbol serve both POS and phone: gs1.org/standards/gs1-digital-link.
- GS1 General Specifications — the spec document that defines Application Identifiers and the 1D / 2D symbology constraints. Published by GS1 and updated annually.
For the URL syntax behind the dual-carrier QR — the GS1 Digital Link grammar that makes one 2D symbol serve both POS and phone — see the GS1 Digital Link guide.